One by One
by Christina Conlon
Summary: Ten of the most important characters of Death Note are lured into a dark mansion, and due to some unfortunate circumstances, are now trapped and searching for a way out.  But an odd third party has other plans.  Reviewers vote on who dies next. ON HAITUS.
1. The Beginning

**Greetings, fellow **_**Death Note**_** fans! :D I'm kinda starting this on a whim, but hopefully you guys will like it. Okay, so basically all the Death Note characters are trapped in this huge mansion, and are slowly being killed off one-by-one. And here's the thing – you, the almighty R&R-ers, get to pick who dies in the next chapter.**

**This opening chapter (not really a prologue, but you can call it that if you want) will set the scene and give you all the possible characters to kill. Naturally, as the story progresses, it will get harder and harder to choose who to kill off next. Whoever gets the most votes to be killed off will die. I've set up some basic rules, but other wise you're welcome to do as you please. :)**

You can only vote for one character per chapter. Votes containing more than one person will not be counted.

I know I can't force you guys to vote, but it would be nice if everyone took the time to vote while they review. :)

When you vote, please make it clear. "Oh-em-gee I hate Misa!1!one!1" does not count as a vote. "Please kill Misa in the next chapter" does.

Please-please-please, you guys, no Sheep Voting. Sheep Voting is when one person will vote for someone, and then everyone will see this vote and vote for the same person. Please, you guys, express you own opinion and vote for who you want to die next. Reading other reviews isn't against the law, of course, but Sheep Voting takes all the fun out of it.

Please don't give me suggestions on different ways characters will die. As incredible as your ideas are, I'd prefer it if I could just write the story my own way. And if you have a totally brilliant idea you're just _dying_ to share, please send it privately in a PM. Otherwise I'll just ignore any and all ideas, no matter how amazing. :)

**With that being said, please read on, and I hope you enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note. If I did, L would probably still be alive. And Mello. And Matt. And Watari. Loved that guy! *sniffle***

**!~!~!**

**Prologue – The Beginning**

Light gazed up at the mansion towering above him, eyes narrowed against the harsh winter wind. He glanced behind him, locking gazes with the hunched figure. L glanced away, taking in the building with wide, expressionless eyes. Light resisted the urge to curl his lip and turned back, his mind rewinding to the events of that morning.

**!~!~!**

"_Light, are you awake?"_

_Light groaned and sat up. "I am now." He mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Then he turned to the door. "Dad? What's the matter?"_

"_L wishes to see you." Mr. Yagami replied in a whisper._

"_Where is he?"_

_Mr. Yagami sighed. "He hasn't moved from the same spot in three days, Light. Where do you think?"_

_Light chuckled softly. "Alright, I'll be down in a second."_

_His father nodded, and then left._

_After changing and doing the basic grooming, Light headed down to the main room. All was dark save the blaring light of the giant computer screens. Light paused at the doorway, and then entered the room. L swiveled around in his chair, chewing on his lip._

"_Light," he began as the boy approached, "I received some information this morning. The sender claims to be Kira."_

_Light stiffened. _That's impossible! _He wanted to shout._ I am Kira! How dare someone impersonate me!

_Of course, the secret murderer kept silent, and instead put on his best surprised face._

"_Kira?" he asked mildly, turning his gaze up to the computer screens. L nodded, stirring absent-mindedly at his coffee cup, which as long since gotten cold._

"_The message is from an unknown sender, and like I said, claiming that they are Kira. Naturally, I am wary of this information, but I think it's safe to say that we should check it out. After all, if it does turn out to be a hoax, then at least we'll know we're not missing out some a potentially important piece of evidence."_

_Light narrowed his eyes. "What is this message, exactly?" He questioned. With a few clicks, L pulled up an e-mail._

"_Dear Task Force," Light read aloud, "I am sure you are surprised by this unexpected e-mail, but I assure you that I have it all planned out. Let me keep this simple – I wish to meet with L and some exclusive members of the Task Force." Light paused. "Exclusive members?"_

"_Keep reading," L said, taking a sip of his coffee and wincing._

"_As in exclusive members, I mean Mr. Yagami and his son, Light Yagami. No one else is to accompany you. I plan on meeting in a disclosed area, where we will not be bothered. I have no intentions of killing L, as I do not know his real name. As for the Yagami's, it would be pointless to dispose of them at this time. I have sent an attachment with directions on where we are to meet, as well as pictures of the building. Please be there at two o'clock this afternoon. The location isn't too far away from your main building, so I'm sure you will be able to make it with plenty of time to spare. You are to come unarmed. If you bring anyone else with you, expect them to be killed immediately. I will not hesitate. Thank you, and see you there." Light let out a growl. "What the heck?"_

_L turned to face the boy. "Are you up to it?" He asked, eyes wide and curious. Light paused to mull it over. Then he squared his shoulders and nodded._

"_Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"_

_L gave the ghost of a smile. "Excellent," he said, and with a grunt rose from his seat. "Your father is out getting the car started. I'd suspect he'd be done by now."_

_Light gave another nod, and did his best to return the smile. "Lead the way then, Ryuzaki."_

**!~!~!**

"Light?" The said boy gave a start, pulled from his thoughts by the soft voice. He looked over to see L already at the door, holding it open to allow access. His father was at his side, a reassuring hand placed on his son's shoulder.

"Let's go," he murmured. Light nodded and, with a final glance behind him, entered the dark, dank mansion.

**!~!~!**

"I _really_ don't think this is a good idea, Misa-Misa," Matsuda groaned, glancing at the beautiful young star through the rear-view mirror. Misa let out a huff.

"Quit your grumbling, Matsuda, and drive faster!" She then let out melodramatic sigh, her eyes taking on a dreamy haze.

"I can't allow my beloved Light to go anywhere without me!" She declared devotedly; "He could be going into potentially life-threatening danger as we speak, and I want to be there to help him."

Matsuda stifled his moan and instead kept his eyes fixated on the road. "Where did you say this place was again?" He called weakly.

"Mmm…" Misa frowned, pursing his cherry-red lips in thought. Then, she let out a squeal of excitement, leaping over and pressing her face against the window.

"There it is! There it is!" She shrieked. "Pull over, Matsuda! _Pull over_!"

The young man grudgingly did as he was told, and with a spin of the wheel the car was on the side of the road, rolling to a slow halt. With another squeal of excitement Misa hopped out of the car, pulling the confused and regretful detective along with her.

"Th-this place is really creepy, Misa-Misa," Matsuda stuttered, unable to pull out of her vice-like grip. "M-maybe we shouldn't-"

"Shush!" The idol instructed, wrenching open the mansion door without a second thought. "Light-kun, no need to worry! I'm here!"

Light spun around, as did Mr. Yagami and L.

"Misa?" Light took a step forward, looking rather annoyed. "Matsuda? What are you two doing here?"

"Matsuda," Mr. Yagami growled, stepping up beside his son; "what is the meaning of this?"

Matsuda didn't waste any time as he leapt to attention. "I'm sorry, Chief! So, so sorry! Misa-Misa wanted to come see Light, and she's really convincing and kind of bothersome so I-" he cut off, realizing how silly his reasons were, and hung his head. "Sorry." He mumbled again.

The chief let out annoyed, gusty sigh. "Well, you're here now and there's nothing we can do about that."

Matsuda's head snapped up. "W-what d'you mean?" he asked meekly, glancing over his shoulder at the door, which had shut on its own. "Shouldn't we just leave?"

"I'm afraid that's quite impossible," L spoke for the first time since the arrival of the two uninvited members, causing all eyes to gravitate towards him. "You see, the door is only accessible from the outside."

Misa let out a dainty gasp. "That means…"

Light gave a grim nod.

"There's no way out."

**!~!~!**

Light checked his clock for the billionth time since they had become trapped inside the mansion. All of the members were slumped up against the wall, tired and defeated (and in Matsuda's case, bored), save L, who was crouched a few feet away, back to his colleagues as he let his thoughts wander.

"It's one fifty-three," Light grumbled, letting his arm drop dejectedly. "How much longer will it take for Kira to show up?"

"Be patient," Mr. Yagami murmured, thought he too looked aggravated. "Perhaps he means to arrive at exactly two o'clock."

"He's probably here already," Light retorted grumpily, "Just doesn't want to show his face yet."

Suddenly, the door creaked open, causing all heads to snap up, including L's, who turned around with faint curiosity. Slowly, the footsteps drew nearer and nearer, and a shadow descended across the floor as light flooded through the doorway. Then, the figure stepped in, with a second, shorter one close behind it.

L blinked. "Mello? Near?"

The two orphans whipped around at the sound of their names. "Y-you!" Mello shouted, pointing a finger dramatically at his mentor. Near, face expressionless, tottered past his companion without a sound. Behind him, the door began to slowly close with loud creaking noises.

"Wait!" Matsuda shouted, his face contorted with horror as he leapt at the door. But it was too late. Just as his fingertips brushed the knob, the door slammed shut, and a small clicking noise signaled the activation of the lock. The entire room fell silent. With a whimper, Matsuda pounded the door with his fists and fell to his knees. Mello looked him over with disgust, before turning back and walking further into the entrance room.

"We got your e-mail," Mello said, stopping to stand over L. The man cocked his head and stood up, meeting his apprentice's gaze steadily.

"I never sent you an e-mail," he replied, his voice calm and soft as usual. Mello snorted.

"Then who the heck was it?"

Near pulled a robot action figure out of his baggy sleeve and began fiddling with it. "Someone who wanted us all to be trapped here." He said, his voice echoing ominously. The members of the Task Force (and Misa) exchanged worried glances, and L gave an approving nod.

"Precisely what I was thinking," he murmured, pressing his thumb against his lips. "I suppose the Kira e-mail was a hoax, after all."

Light stood slowly, brushing off his pants. "Or maybe it was Kira," he reasoned, "But he knew that he wouldn't lure out… uh, Cello and Queer, was it?" He glanced questioningly at the two boys. Mello balled his fists.

"_Mello_ and _Near_," he growled through clenched teeth. Light let out a light-hearted laugh.

"Right, sorry," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyways, maybe Kira knew that he wouldn't be able to lure Mello and Near out of their hiding places by saying he was Kira. After all, what interest would he be to them?"

"More than you would think," Near murmured, not glancing up from his robot. "We _are_ L's successors, after all."

Light looked taken-aback. _L's successors? These… these _children_ are L's successors?_

"We're smarter than you think," Mello grumbled, as though reading Light's thoughts. Light just gave a warm smile in return.

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat loudly from across the room. Everyone whipped around to see a rather short cloaked figure standing at a hallway entrance.

"Since when is _that_ there?" Matsuda – who has, by now, gotten over the door-closing tragedy – muttered, feeling for his gun. No one bothered to reply, and Matsuda realized with disappointment that he had left his weapon at home.

The cloaked figure glided forward, face shrouded in darkness and no part of its body visible.

Light narrowed his eyes. "Are you… Kira?"

"No," the figure replied without hesitation. "I am… a person. Yeah… anyhoo, we cannot begin quite yet. We still have two people that we're waiting for." Then the figure paused, looking around. "Wait, where's Matt?"

Mello let out a growl. "What do you mean, 'where's Matt'?" He snarled, taking a threatening step forward. Near chucked his robot at his companion's head, causing him to fall over. The cloaked figure giggle-snorted, then lamely attempted to regain their dominant air.

Mello let out an angry yowl, leaping to his feet and chucking the toy at the ground. "What the _heck_ was that for, Near?"

"We cannot confront an enemy we know nothing about," he replied in monotone. "That, and you're a two-timing fool."

Mello's eye twitched. "What's that supposed to mean, Sheep-Boy?"

Near pattered across the floor to retrieve his toy. "It was a joke. Ha, ha."

Mello muttered incoherent words of anger under his breath.

"Ahem, anyway," Mr. Yagami said loudly, catching everyone's attention, "Since Kira isn't here, I suppose we should try to find a way out."

"Not _yet_!" the cloaked figure whined, stomping their foot childishly. "Didn't any of you hear what I _just_ said? We're still waiting for two people! Well, technically three, considering Matt's not here."

"'Sup, people?" a voice boomed throughout the room. Everyone's eyes turned to the staircase, in which a red (green?)-haired boy was descending, cigarette dangling from between his teeth and portable gaming device tucked in his side pocket.

"Is it safe to assume that that's Matt?" Matsuda whispered.

"I think so," Mr. Yagami replied, also in whisper.

"Matt," Mello narrowed his eyes, "How'd you get in here?"

"Dude, I _live_ here."

"Really?"

"No, but wouldn't it be cool if I did?"

Mello rolled his eyes, and even Near let out a little puff of breath. The cloaked figure threw their left hand in the air, and two more cloaked figures swept out from behind them.

"Yes, Master?" they bowed low, before turning to face the rest of the crowd.

"I believe that Matt came in through the hole in the ceiling of the dining hall. I thought it was too small to allow anyone to enter or exit, but apparently I thought wrong. Please go repair it."

The figures bowed again. "Yes, Master." Then they were gone.

Misa cocked her head to one side. "Wait, I'm confused. Does Matt live here or not?"

Everyone ignored her, now centering their attention at the two women who had entered the building. Mr. Yagami opened his mouth to speak, but before he had the chance, the cloaked figure snickered and then walked forward to the center of the room.

"Welcome, Sachiko and Sayu Yagami," the figure said, their voice impassive. Matsuda, due to delayed reaction, let out a moan a few seconds after the door had closed.

"Well then," the figure sighed, turning to face the entire group, "Looks like everyone's finally here."

"Now will you explain what's going on, Kira?" Mr. Yagami challenged, hurrying over to his frightened and confused family, wrapping and arm protectively around each girl.

"Yeah," Light chimed in, "How do we know you're even Kira?"

The cloaked figure facepalmed. "I already told you guys, _I'm not Kira_."

"Then who are you?" Mello shouted. The figure just smirked.

"Good luck." They said darkly, before spinning around to leave. Just as they did, they tripped on their hem and fell. An awkward silence followed this action, and the cloaked figure wasted no time getting up and scrambling out of the room. After a moment of hush, Matsuda voiced the question they had all been thinking.

"Well, what now?"

**!~!~!**

**Ta-da! Chapter one! :P Meh, The beginning seems really choppy and weird. Buuut, life goes on… for some people. X3**

**Anyhoo, hope you guys liked it, and don't forget to vote! :3**

**People Alive:** Light, Mr. Yagami, L, Matsuda, Misa, Mello, Near, Matt, Mrs. Yagami, Sayu

**People Dead:** None… for now.

**~ Christina Conlon**

**P.S, Oh, and just so you guys know, I don't have a specific amount of reviews I want until I get the next chapter up, but I'll wait until there's quite a few votes. So, yar… don't forget! :)**

**P.P.S, And by the way, if anyone can think of a better title, PLEASE, by all means, suggest it to me! **_**One by One **_**isn't the most creative title out there. I mean, seriously. Sooo, yeah. Luff ya'll! :3**


	2. Seperation

**Nya, Chapter 1 took this long to type? Wowzies! But hey, that's how the cookie crumbles or whatever. And thanks to all you people and your wonderful reviews! Thanks for voting, everyone. :) I was shocked to find 7 reviews in one day. But I think that DN is the largest fandom I've ever written (and published on FF) for, except for maybe Lord of the Rings, so I'm not used to so many fangirls at the same time. XD**

**Anyhoo, on with the chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: …L's still dead, isn't he?**

**!~!~!**

**Chapter 1 – Separation**

Silence followed Matsuda's rhetorical question. Finally, after digging around in his pockets for quite some time, L pulled out several head microphones and began passing them around.

"Lucky for us," he explained, "I expected the unexpected and came prepared. However, I did not predict that so many of us would be here, so I am afraid there's not enough for everyone. Therefore, in the event that we are separated, please make sure that you are with someone who has a headset."

Matsuda's eyes lit up. "So basically, we should use the Buddy System?"

L sighed, placing a headset in the young investigator's outstretched palm. "I don't know why I trust you with this expensive piece of equipment," he mumbled under his breath, "but yes, we are essentially using the 'Buddy System'."

Matsuda slammed the headset onto his skull. "Cool!"

In the end, Mr. Yagami, Light, Near, Matsuda, and L each had a headset.

"I was planning on using the extra two as spares," L said around his thumb, "but we'll want to have as much connection with each other as possible."

Mello let out a low growl.

"Why do you trust Near with a stupid headset and not me, huh?" he shouted, pointing angrily at the emotionless, hair-twirling prodigy. "Is it because I'm second? That's what it is, isn't it? I knew it!"

L blinked. "No," he replied slowly; "I just wanted to spread the headsets out. It has nothing to do with you being second place."

"So I _am_ second place!"

"I never said that."

"Uh, yeah you did!"

L turned his back to the livid blonde as Light began to speak, addressing the entire group.

"Alright everyone," he said, doing his best to sound cheerful, "the door may not work, but there's bound to be another way out of this place, right?"

"Right!" Misa interjected, pounding her fist in the air enthusiastically. "I just _know_ you'll save us, Light-kun! I just _know_ it!"

Light gave her an awkward nod, smiling briefly before turning back to the crowd in front of him. "Now, I know L gave us these microphones – very useful, by the way – but I want us all to stick together, okay?"

Murmurs of agreement rippled around the group, and then a shout from Sayu:

"Hey, where'd the sheep kid and Mr. Anger Management go?"

Everyone whipped around to face the young girl (who was standing near the back of the crowd with her mother and father), and saw Mello marching through the archway that lead down the hall, a less motivated-looking Near padding after him, still twirling a lock of white hair.

"W-wait!" Mr. Yagami shouted, lurching forward, "You aren't supposed to leave the group!"

Light put a hand on his father's shoulder. "Don't follow them," he warned, "we can't afford to break up any more than we have already."

"He's right," L spoke calmly, drawing instant attention to himself; "I've known Mello and Near all my life. They can take care of themselves."

Mr. Yagami stared at the dark, foreboding hallway for a moment longer, before nodding and turning away. The minute his father's back was turned, Light's face contorted into one of blackened malice.

_With any luck, those two won't come back at all, _He thought grimly. _The last thing I need is two more L's on my tail._

**!~!~!**

"I just _know_ you'll save us, Light," Mello mimicked sardonically, stomping down the dark passage, "I just _know_ it! Yeah, right. Not that pretty boy."

"Light Yagami is smarter than he may appear," Near murmured, twirling a curl of hair while clutching his robot possessively. Mello froze mid-stride, his brow furrowing in aggravation.

"And why'd you have to follow me, you little twit?" He raged, spinning around to face his rival.

"L said that those without headsets had to stay by someone who did." Near replied. "For that reason, when I saw you sneaking off, I decided it'd be in L's best interest to follow you."

Mello clenched his fists at his sides. "So now you're rubbing in the fact that _you_ have a headset and I _don't_, huh?"

Near stared on and began to play with his action figure. Mello snorted.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go find a way out of here." With that he spun on his heel and continued down the hall. Much to his annoyance, the repetitive shuffling sound of Near attempting to walk resumed, refusing to leave him in peace.

"It would be more productive if we searched for an exit together," the young Indonesian boy reasoned after a moment of silence. Mello turned up his nose.

"Yeah, like I would work with a brat like you."

Another moment of silence, and then, "Stop."

Mello paused reluctantly, watching Near with wary eyes as the boy circled around to the front. "What is it now?"

Near didn't reply, but merely began to unbutton the taller boy's shirt.

"Hey – wha…?" Mello's eyes widened. "What d'you think you're doing, Near?"

Near didn't reply, but instead flipped over one of the shirt sides and reached for the inside pocket. When he pulled back, in his grip he held a second, smaller robot action figure.

"I was hoping it was still there," he murmured, returning to his self-assigned spot in the back. Mello stood still in shock for a moment, before hurriedly re-buttoning his shirt.

"Quit using my clothes to store your stupid toys, Near." He announced loudly, and then stormed off into the darkness, said boy tottering loyally behind him.

**!~!~!**

"It's been half an hour and they're _still_ not back!" Matsuda moaned worriedly, slumping against the wall. "Where could Cello and Queer possibly be?"

"Mello and Near," L corrected absent-mindedly, staring off into space from his crouching position beside the young detective, "and like I said, they can take care of themselves."

"I know," Matsuda sighed. "But they just kind of… left."

"He has a point," Mr. Yagami agreed grimly; "We have no idea what's out there."

"Except for those weird cloaked guys," Sayu shuddered. "But I didn't like them very much."

**!~!~!**

The room was pitch black, save a brightly-shining laptop screen placed in the middle of the room. Before the screen stood a cloaked figure, standing stock-still, except for single hand which was outstretched, using a touchpad to move the cursor about the screen.

"Wowzers," the figure mumbled, clicking on a link. "I'm surprised people don't wanna kill Misa yet. Ah, well, to each his own and the lady kissed a cow."

"Hey!" a voice called from somewhere further in the darkness.

"Yeah?" the cloaked figure didn't look up from the laptop.

"The Master wishes to see you."

The figure sighed, reluctantly tearing their gaze away from the addictive lights. "Nya, again?"

"Yes."

"Well, fine. I'll be there in a sec."

After clicking around for a little while longer, the cloaked figure finally shut the laptop and glided out of the room, tripping over the cloak's hem several times in the process. Finally, they arrived in a fairly dark room, lit only by the faint candles placed on pedestals around the edge of the room. The cloaked figure gave a short, Japanese-styled bow before the shadowed throne.

"You wanted to see me, Master?"

"Yes," the deep voice rumbled. "And you know fully well why."

The figure shifted. "Y-yes, I think I do."

"Did you recruit new members for our cause?"

"Yeah… well, I mean, I tried."

The figure let out a small sigh. "Bring them forth."

The cloaked figure bowed again, and, with an elegant sweep of their sleeve, revealed four more figures stepping out of the shadows.

"Here they are, Master," the figure mumbled. Then, nodding to each in turn; "This is Ewon, Emirii, Eipuriru, and Jardè."

Each of the new figures were wearing completely black cloaks, whereas the original (and extremely dorky) cloaked figure was wearing one with a more dead plum tinge to it.

The man on the throne let out a growl. "This is all you could find?"

The dead plum-tinged figure flinched with a tentative nod. "I'm sorry, Master, but this is it…"

"We're willing to help Kuri if it means she'll come out of this alive," the taller figure – Eipuriru – piped up, stepping forward.

"Silence!" The Master roared, but Eipuriru didn't flinch. The Master glared, his anger increasing.

_Th-this girl is immune to my powers…?_ He could hardly believe it to be true. In all his years of ruling, no one had ever been able to resist him. Some were more difficult to break, yes, but all had come to their knees. But this girl wasn't even afraid. Perhaps she… had nothing to fear?

Pushing the preposterous thoughts to the back of his mind, the Master swept another cold gaze over the four new recruits.

"Jardè," he snarled. This figure, the tallest of them all, gave a slow nod in response. The Master smirked.

_This one is strong, but I can smell their fear…_

"Tell me, Jardè," he said with sugar-coated words, "Boy or girl?"

"Um, I'm a boy."

"And your name – Spanish or Italian?"

"Well, actually," Jardè began with a small sigh, "It sounds more French to me, but I dunno. I think someone just kinda made it up."

The Master gave a slow nod, and then turned to Emirii.

"Eep!" she squeaked out, cowering under her cloak. The Master smirked viciously.

_This one's almost as bad as Kurisutiina. Almost, but not quite… Easy enough to break, however._

"Emirii," he instructed, leaning back against his throne. "You and Kurisutiina are close friends, am I correct?"

"Y-yes… Master, you are."

"Excellent. I'm expecting you and her to work together, being my closest and most revered servants."

"Oh, yes!" Emirii's eyes glowed from behind the shadows of her overhanging hood. "I would like that very much!"

The Master nodded. "And Ewon…"

"Yes?"

"Master; call me Master."

The third and final girl sighed. "Yes, _Master_?"

"You, along with Eipuriru and Jardè, will be going out and doing all the dirty work."

"Hey!" Eipuriru shouted, stepping forward boldly, "That's not fair! I didn't come here to be bossed around by some sucker in a bathrobe."

Kurisutiina winced, but the Master merely laughed – a dark, menacing laugh.

"I never promised anything when recruiting you four. Now, off you go. Not you, Kurisutiina," he added harshly. The girl sighed as her friends exited the room.

"Kurisutiina," he repeated, leaning forward. "What are the current situations of our… guests?"

Kurisutiina bit her lip. "Um, they're all here, and two of them – Mello and Near, I think – went off in search of a hiding place. The rest are still in the main entryway… room… place. Yeah."

The Master stroked his long, pointy white beard, mumbling to himself. Then he stood with a _whoosh_, causing the smaller girl to stumble back a few paces.

"Our first plan of action will be to separate the rest of them," he declared, gliding down the stairs of the platform on which his throne sat. "Jardè is good with his hands, correct?"

"Y-yeah," Kurisutiina stammered, watching her master with wide eyes.

"Have him create some trapdoors and the such. As for Eipuriru and Ewon, they can help execute the separation process. Go and show Jardè the best places to construct the trapdoors. Oh, and send in the other two. I must give them more elaborate orders."

The girl gave a quick nod and scurried out of the room.

_I can't believe I'm actually doing this…_ she let out a small, gloomy sigh, pulling a picture out from under her cloak. _I've been his biggest fan since the moment I saw him, and now he… and now he might die._

**!~!~!**

Now an hour had passed, according to Light's watch – and Light's watch was always right. After all, if it were even one second off the actual time, then all his plans could be foiled.

"Hey, Light?" The said boy turned his head, looking over at his sister who was huddled at his side. "Do you… do you think we'll ever get out of here?"

He smiled good-naturedly, patting Sayu on the head. "I'm sure we will," he murmured. "Don't worry."

As though on queue, Mrs. Yagami let out an ear-splitting screech as the floor opened up beneath her and she plummeted into darkness.

"Mom!" Sayu shrieked, scrambling to her feet and dashing over to the gaping hole in the floor.

"Sachiko, I'm coming!" Mr. Yagami shouted, speeding past his daughter.

"Mr. Yagami, wait!" L's eyes widened in uncharacteristic panic; "Don't-"

But it was too late. The ex-chief had already leapt through the opening, thus following his wife into the sinister abyss.

Light's eyes flashed and he hurried over to the edge of the gap, peering down. Sayu had now broken down, tears flowing freely down her face as she gasped and sobbed with panic.

"Mom! Dad!" Light shouted urgently. He got no reply.

"Ryuzaki, what do we do?" Matsuda breathed, staring at the scene with horror. L didn't reply, but began chewing on his thumb thoughtfully. Suddenly, a witch-like cackling sounded from above. At the top of the stair stood a figure cloaked all in black.

"You'll get nowhere following them through the trapdoor," when they spoke, the voice was light and bouncy despite the evil words – obviously female.

"What have you done to Mr. and Mrs. Yagami?" Matsuda shouted angrily, stepping forward to get a better look at the enemy. The figure just laughed again and swept away.

Matsuda let out a grunt of annoyance and dashed after them, despite L's urgent calls.

"I'm not letting them get away!" Matsuda explained loudly, careening up the steps. "I'm going to find Chief Yagami and his wife!"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Misa jumped up and down, waving her hand excitedly before following the young man; "Let me come too! I want to help Light-kun's family too!"

L sighed as the two most energetic members of the group disappeared. Light stood slowly, pulling his sister gently to her feet as well.

"So it's just us now, huh?" he murmured, wrapping an arm around Sayu protectively.

L glanced at the trapdoor, and found with mild surprise that it was now shut.

"Yes, I suppose we are."

Light narrowed his eyes. "This was their plan all along – to separate us."

"My thoughts exactly."

Sayu let out a soft whimper, burying her face into her brother's chest.

"I want out," she choked, fisting his shirt. "I don't want to be here anymore."

"We don't really have a choice, I'm afraid," L said; the girl made no sign that she had heard him, but wriggled out of her brothers grip, sliding to the ground, face void of any emotion but shock.

"We need a plan to find the others, quick," Light said, pushing his sister to the back of his mind.

"Yes," L agreed, "and we need to know what these… people plan on gaining through this."

"I suggest we call everyone else up on the communicators," Light pulled his own headset off, staring down at it. "But… you never really explained how these worked."

"Oh, it's quite simple really. The button here-"

The two older men continued to converse, and failed to notice the young and shook-up girl slowly crawling to the spot in the floor where her parents had been swallowed up.

**!~!~!**

"Sachiko?" Mr. Yagami called urgently, stumbling blindly through the pitch-black passageway. "Sachiko, answer me!"

"Soichiro, i-is that you?" a voice whimpered from somewhere further away. Mr. Yagami's eyes widened and he quickened his pace, almost tripping over the limp arm that was splayed out across his path.

"Sachi…ko?" was all the chief able to utter when he finally found his voice.

A single torch was mounted on the wall, casting a portentous glow across the body of the woman. She looked dizzy and disoriented, and a thin line of blood trickled down the side of her head.

"Sachiko, are you alright?" Mr. Yagami gasped out, kneeling beside his wife and helping her into a sitting position.

"Y-yes, I think so," she mumbled, placing a hand to the mild wound on her head. "It was very dark, and then I tripped…"

Mr. Yagami let out a faint laugh of relief. "I'm glad that's all," he said, pulling his wife into a tight embrace. The woman began to sigh into the hug, but before she had the chance, a tight force constricted around her neck, jerking her backwards. Mr. Yagami gasped when Sachiko disappeared from his grasp. Now she was being pulled up against the wall, arms reaching out and spidery tanned hands laced themselves around the older woman's neck.

"S-Sachiko!" Mr. Yagami called out, reaching for his wife. The hands nimbly moved the woman to the side, and Mr. Yagami saw the source of the intruder. One of the stones of the wall had been pushed out, leaving a gap just large enough for someone to stick their arms out and… well, _strangle_ a person on the other side.

"Let her go, you… you…" despite the circumstances, Mr. Yagami refused to use foul language in front of his wife, and struggled for an equally insulting word as he grabbed the arms, shaking them viciously in an attempt to free Sachiko. To his complete and utter surprise the arms complied, releasing the innocent woman and slithering back into the safety of their base. Mr. Yagami spun around and swept Sachiko up in his arms, ignoring the odd grinding sound of a second stone sealing off the hole.

"Sachiko, are you alright?" Mr. Yagami asked breathlessly.

No reply.

"Sachiko, answer me! Please!" Growing desperate, the former chief shook his wife gently, his grip tightening around her shoulders. Still no reaction; her pale lips were parted slightly, but no breath escaped them. Her eyes were closed gently, and her hair was limp and slightly matted with blood and a few beads of glistening sweat.

_No…_ Mr. Yagami screwed his eyes shut, refusing to believe the truth that sat before him – the dead, limp, and helpless truth.

"Dad? Dad, can you here me?" the voice of his son crackled through the headphones, but Mr. Yagami felt no desire to reply. "Dad, if you can hear me, press the button on the side of the headphones to reply. Dad, can you hear me? Dad?"

The urgent calls continued. Mr. Yagami let out a small sigh and leaned back up against the wall, not caring if the hands returned to strangle him as well.

In fact, he sort of wished for death to come.

At least he'd die with Sachiko at his side.

**!~!~!**

"Did you hear that?" The Master cackled, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the armrest of his throne. "He _wishes_ for _death_. So why don't we grant it?"

"Not yet," Kurisutiina stated matter-of-factly, holding her trusty laptop in one hand and tapping around on it with the other. "We have to hear what the people want first." Then, whipping her gaze up as dramatically and un-dorky as possible, declared, "So, who'll it be next? Mr. Yagami, or someone else? Misa would be a good choi-"

"You idiot!" Eipuriru shouted, tackling the girl from the side. "Quit advertising shamelessly!"

Emirii let out a squeak as the laptop went flying from her companion's hand and leapt forward, rescuing the electronic device from certain doom. Ewon watched the whole scene with slight amusement, wondering mildly if she should interfere or just leave them be. Jardè stood a little off to the side from the rest, looking down at his faintly trembling hands as though he just committed murder – which, in fact, he had.

"I- I can't believe I just did that…" He murmured, more to himself than anyone else. However, the Master, being the master that he is, heard him, and clicked lightly with his tongue.

"You'll get used to it," he assured the boy, waving his hand as though he could shoo the problem away. "Now, all of you get back to your rooms. We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow. Not you, Kurisutiina."

Said girl let out a sad little sigh as her friends shuffled away, Eipuriru sending the Master a possessive glare before pulling her friend into a quick good-bye hug.

"See you tomorrow, Kuri." She whispered. Kurisutiina nodded mutely, barely able to return the embrace before her friend was gone.

"Now, my little minion," the Master purred, hopping off his throne and gliding down the stairs, "I've got a lot for you to do."

Kurisutiina groaned. "But it's late!"

"Only ten-thirty. You've stayed up later."

Kurisutiina's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Show me what to do."

**!~!~!**

**Ta-da! The fruits of my labor! :D Or… lack thereof. Anyhoo, I hope you guys aren't too disappointed. And sorry if I'm focusing a lot on the bad guys, but I feel that their whole situation needs to addressed in order to give the story more **_**depth**_**, or whatever. I suck at action scenes, by the way, if it weren't obvious enough… I just, like, want to make it all as descriptive as possible, but then I run out of words and it ends up looking like chopped-up crap. DX**

**BUT I DIGRESS.**

**Please review, and don't forget to vote! :D Thanks for ya'll being so wonderful so early on in the life of this lil' piece of junk! You're da bestest! :3**

**Luffs ya!**

**~ Christina Conlon**


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